● `HW

● Scalar
○ A physical quantity that has only magnitude and can be represented by a number
and unit
○ Exp:
■ Time
■ Mass
■ Temperature
■ Density
■ Electric charge
● Vector
○ A physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction
■ Displacement
■ Velocity
■ Force

○ Denoted by
● Vector in Coordinates
○ Geometric representation in coordinates:
■ In cartesian form (ax, ay)
● Vector Properties
○ Equal: 2 vectors are equal if they have the same length and the same direction,

no matter where they are located

 ○ Negative: The negative of a vector is a vector with the same magnitude but

opposite direction:
● Magnitude of Vector
○ The magnitude of a vector is a positive number that describes its length
■ The magnitude of a displacement vector is its length
■ The magnitude of a velocity vector is speed
● Vector Addition
○ Addition
■ Vector addition is commutative. The order of addition doesn’t matter.
■ |\vec(A) + \vec(B)| != |\vec(A)| + |\vec(B)|

■
○ Subtraction
■ Adding a negative vector

■
●
● Adding Vector Components
 ○ Graphical
■ Represent vectors as scaled directed line segments; Attach tail to head
○ Analytical
■ Resolve vectors into x and y components; add components;
■ Rx = A x + B x
■ Ry = A y + B y
■

■
● Vector components

○ In cartesian coordinate, i is x direction, j is y direction

■ Magnitude |\vec(A)| or A = \sqrt(Ax^2+Ay^2)

■
● Vector Components and Decomposition
○ Choose your own coordinates
 ■

■
● Unit Vector
○ Unit vectors provide a convenient means of notation to allow one to express a
vector in terms of its components
■ Unit vectors always have a magnitude of 1
■ Unit vectors point along a coordinate direction
■ Unit vectors are written using a caret(hat ^) to distinguish them from other
things
● Position Vector
○ To describe the motion of a particle in space, we first need to describe the
position of the particle
○ Position vector of a particle is a vector that goes from the origin of coordinate
system to the point
○ Position vector components are the cartesian coordinate of the particle

○
● Displacement
○ As the particle moves through space, the path is a curve
○ The change in position ( the displacement ) of a particle during time interval \
delta(t)

○
○ SI unit is m

● Average Velocity
○ Vector during this time interval is the
displacement divided by the time interval
 ○
● Instantaneous Velocity
○ The instantaneous velocity vector is the limit of the average velocity as the time
interval approaches zero, and equals the instantaneous rate of change of

position with time:

○ The magnitude of the vector \vec(v) at any instant is the speed v of the particle
at that instant
○ The direction of \vec(v) at any instant is the same as the direction in which the
particle moves at that instant
○ SI unit is m/s

.
● Average Acceleration
○ Acceleration of a particle moving in space describes rate at which the velocity of
particle changes
○ Average acceleration is a vector change in velocity divided by the time interval

○ the final \vec(v) is a different direction than v2

and v1
● Acceleration
○ Instantaneous acceleration is the limit of the average acceleariton as the time
interval approaches zero, and equals the instantaneous rate of change of velocity
with time
○ SI unit is m/s^2
 ○
○ When an object is accelerating
■ The magnitude of the velocity can change
■ The direction of the velocity can change
● Even if the magnitude may be constant
● Acceleration Components
○ Acceleration vector can be resolved into
■ Tangential component: a component parallel to the path and velocity

■
○ When acceleration vector is parallel to the path( and velocity): The magnitude of \
vec(v) increases, but its direction doesn’t change
○ When the acceleration vector is perpendicular to the path: The direction of \
vec(v) changes, but the magnitude is constant
● Acceleration Vector
○ Component of acceleration for a particle moving along a curved path:
■ Constant speed: The component of acceleration along the path is 0.
■ Increasing Speed: the component of acceleration along the path is > 0
■ Decreasing speed: the component of acceleration along the path is < 0
■
● Projectile Motion
○ The motion of a projectile will take place in a plane(2-D motion), in both x and y
directions simultaneously
■ For projectile motion we can analyze the x- and y- component of the
motion separately
● Horizontal motion: with zero acceleration, i.e. constant velocity
● Vertical motion: With a constant downward acceleration of
magnitude g

●
■ Note: For now, we ignore
● Air friction
● The rotation of the Earth
○ Horizontal: motion with constant velocity, acceleration is 0

■
○ Vertical: motion with constant acceleration

■
○ Initial velocity:

○ Trajectory with initial velocity \vec(v0)

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 ■ Max Height

■
● Relative Motion
○ Relative Motion: Two observers moving relative to each other generally do not
agree on the outcome of an experiment. The observations seen by each are
related to one another
○ Frame of Reference: can described by a cartesian coordinate system for which
an observer is at rest with respect to the origin.